Wire coating and spooling machine.



M. 1). SHIVERICK. I WIRE COATING AND SPOOLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1911. 1,'?6,526,

Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

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MYRON D. SHIVERICK, 0F ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM E. MILBANK, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

WIRE COATING AND SPOOLING MACHINE.

' Patented Oct. 21', 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, MYRON D. SHIVERICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, Albany county, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Coating and Spooling Machines, of which the following is a specification. f v

My invention relates to an apparatus or machine for covering wire or other articles with a preferably japanned or baked enamel or varnish. Such coating may be adapted to protect the wire or the like'from oxidation, or, particularly, to electrically insulate it.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, eflicient, continuously acting device for rapidly and smoothly'coating one or morelengths of wire or the like.

A further object of my invention is to provide an efficient tension and spooling means for insuring an even heating of the wire in the drying operation, and for smoothly re-spooling it.

Further objects of my invention will appear in this specification and will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2, a top plan view, of a form of the machine adapted to coating and re-spooling fine wire; Fig. 3, is a transverse vertical section through the plane 33, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a partial transverse vertical section through the plane 4-4, Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a transverse horizontal section through tle plane 6-6, Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a partial transverse vertical section, through the plane 7-7, Fig. 4; Figs. 8 and 9 are enlarged detail views, one at right angles with the other, of an enamel feeding device.

For clearness of illustration, parts are omitted, especially in Figs. 4 to 7 of the drawings.

11 designates a main frame, supported by corner posts 12, on which the various parts of the machine are mounted.

13 is one of a pair of vertical bars, pierced by a plurality of apertures 14, forming loose journals for shafts 15, on which are detachably secured reels or spools 16 for the raw wire to be coated. It will be noted that there are several pairs of apertures 14 for the spool supporting shafts 15, and that each shaft is adapted to carry aplurality of spools 16, one of which is shown in Fig. 4, held from longitudinal movement on the shaft by set sleeves 17. The rotation of each spool is restrained by a spring brake 18, suitably supported on a standard 19, Figs. 1 and 2. Mounted on standards 20 is a roll 21, which may run idly or, as shown, is belted to a driven shaft of the machine. Secured to one of the head corner posts 12 and considerably above the frame 11 is a tank 22, connected by a tube 23, in which is a cock 24, to a horizontal pipe nipple 25, from which extend upwardly a plurality of feeding tips 26. Each tip 26 consists of a small tubular nipple flattened at its upper end, then 'cut away and bent to form two nearly parallel, angularly disposed Walls 27, the upper of which may be slightly bent inward, Figs. 8 and 9. As shown, the free end of the pipe 25 is adjustably supported from a cross bar 28, secured to a pair of standards 29, the bar being provided with a plurality of apertures 30, corresponding in number and position to the feed tips 26. Supported on the frame 11 is a'heating or baking oven 31, shown as heated by gas pipes 32, above which is a wire screen 33, above which each end of the oven is pierced by a plurality of small apertures 34, corresponding in number, and registering, with the feed tips 26, Figs. 1, 2 and 3. J ournaled between the standards 29 near their upper ends is a shaft 35, on which is a speed cone 36, connected by a belt 37 to a like cone on a countershaft, not shown, the shaft 35 having at one of its ends a sprocket wheel 38, from which a chain 39 runs to a second sprocket wheel 40 on a shaft 41, Figs. 1 and 4. The shaft 35 carries at its other end a pinion 42, which meshes with the upper of a train of pinions 43, each of which is keyed on to one of the spool carrying shafts 15. At the end of shaft 41 is a bevel gear 44 meshing with a bevel gear 45 on a vertical shaft 46, supported on a bracket 47 and carrying at its upper end another bevel gear 48, which meshes with two inwardly facing bevel gears 49, 50 both of which are loose on a threaded shaft 51, Fig. 4. Between the gears 49, 50 is a collar 52, fast on shaft 51, into whichis let a strap collar 53, with which engage two oppositely disposed lugs 54, secured at the ends of transverse rods 55, parallel with and at each side of shaft 51 and having limited longitudinal movement in supports 56 la p ri 29, s Fi 6. Rrojectin from 'idetfcbln i s a pin '57 ada ted to engage in an aperture 58 in each of the gears 49, see Fig. 5, so that the longitudinal Eovemflnfilg of rodds 55 is Hcommunicaited 1 Q stra, co ar 3 to co lar 52, iih ereby a lf e dnativ eii engaging it with each of gears 49, 50, thus se'rviiig to rotate shaft 51 in either direction. On threaded shaftbl runs a nut '59 carrying a T-sha-ped plate 60 which supports a number of vertical rods '61, which extend upward in front of the spools 16 on shafts 15. Nut 59 also cara top 62, shownv as provided with posite, .vertical, beveled lugs 63, the function'of'which will appear; At each side of nut 59 is a thrust spring 64 hearing against across bar 65', which runs freely on shaft 51 and rods .55. Adjustably secured to rods 55, Outside of bars 65, are two cross bars 66, each provided with upright guide fingers 67, between which plays the end of a latch 68 pivoted on an ear. 69 on upright 29, Figs. 4

and 6. Each latch 68 has a lug 70 having holding engagement with cross bar 66,and a beveledend portion 71 adapted to be lifted by a 111g 63 on nut 59. On uprights 12 at the tail end of frame 11 is ashaft 72 carryinga plurality of grooved idler wheels 7 3, one of which is shown, the lower edges of the wheels being in line with the apertures 30 on bar 28 and with apertures 34 in the ends of oven 31.

W designates a wire undergoing the coating operation, the direction of its movement being marked by arrows, Fig. 1.

Considering the machine as operating on a single wire its'action is as follows: Wire W is led from spool 16, under roll 21, through aperture 30 in bar 28, between lips 27 of feeding tip 26, through oven 31, around idler 7 3, between two of rods 61, and is rewound on spool 16". Tips 26 receive the coating liquid from tank 22, the flow being regulated by cock 24 so that lips or walls 27 "are supplied with a film of the liquid as fast as it is wiped therefrom by the moving wire, which is in substantial moving contact therewith. After long experimentation, have found that the flattened tip, shown in; Figs. 8 and 9, with its elongated, nearly par-'; allel lips 27, the upper lip being preferably; slightly bent inward as shown, serves to give an even coating to the entire surface ofi the wire, and that the fiow can be easily reg-f ulated to practically prevent waste from overflow. It will be understood that the nearly parallel walls or lips 27 form a sort of trough, through which the wire W passes; and that they act by film-adhesion to carry'u'p a'sm'all volume of the coating liquid above the tubular portion of tube 26. I have secured uniformly better results by bending these lips laterally from a vertical. plane, as shown, presumably for the reason that the raising of the liquid is less hindered by gravity in the 'case 'of the iincliiie'd, than the vertical, lips. It is importantthat the wire be supported in substantial moving contact with a that lip, z. e., a lip of substantial width, and that controllable means be provided for maintaining on this lip a film of the adhesive coating liquid. If this lip is'above the wire in overhanging contact therewith, the force of gravity assists in carrying the liquid wiped by the wire from the lip around the entire surface of the wire. The coated Wire then passes through oven 31, heated by gas pipes 32, or otherwise as desired, to a temperature sufficient to dry or bake the varnish used; thence over idler 73 to spool 16*, on which it is wound in even layers by the parts numbered 44 to 71, operating as follows: Assuming that shaft 41 has a continuous anti-clockwise rotation, see

Figs. 4, 5 and 6, and that threaded shaft 51- is now rotated in the same direction by rea son of collar 52 having pin engagement with bevel gear 49, it will be seen'that nut 59 has nearly reached the limit of its travel to the right of Fig. 4, and that its further movement will act to lift latch 68 at the right of the figure, thereby releasing it from right cross bar 66, when right spring 64 will act to force rods 55 to the right, thus disengaging collar 52 from gear 49 and immediately engaging its pin 57 in slot 58 of gear 50.

'Thisstarts shaft 51 to rotate clockwise and forcesnut 59 to the left of Fig. 4, where, as parts 63 to 71 are duplicated, the reverse operation takes place. As nut 59 carries plate and vertical rods 61, and as wire WV passes between two of these rods, the wire will obviously be laid in alternate right and left runs on spool 16", the adjustability of cross bars 66 on rods 55 serving to regulate the length of travel of the nut'59 and wire guiding rods 61.

It will be noted that in, my device the wires, after receiving a film of the insulating coating liquid from the part with which each has been in moving contact, are carried directly to the oven, where this coating is dried and baked. In previous machines of this general character with which I am'acquainted an excess of liquid is applied to the wire, the superfiuousportion of which is removed by some form of wiping device. This is always objectionable, as tending to spot the insulation, and has prevented the use of such machines for coating fine wires, where a very thincoating of a perfect insulating material is desired.

It will be understood that many mechanical alterations may be made in my device without departing from the spirit of my invention, the advantages of which lie in the compactness ofthe machine, the fact that the wire passes through the coating device and through the baking oven in a horizontal so v - lip and means for supportin position, its practically unlimited capacity, 7

and the simplicity of its operation.

What I claim is:

1. In a wire coating machine, an oven; means for drawing a wire under tension through said oven; coating means adjacent said oven including a flattened metal tip having substantially parallel lips between which the Wire passes; and means for supplying a coating liquid directly to said tip.

2. In a wire coating machine, an oven, means for drawing a wire through said oven; coating means adjacent said oven comprising a tip having a flatlip and means for supporting the Wire in substantial contact with said li means for supplying a coating liquid directly to said tip; and means for controllin the flow of such liquid so that a thin film t ereof is maintained on said lip portion.

3. In a wire coating machine, an oven; means for drawing a wire through said oven; coating means adjacent sald oven comprising a tip having a flat overhanging the wire in L substantial contact with said 11p; means for supplying a coating liquid directly to said tip; and means for controlling the flow of such liquid so that a thin film thereof is maintained on said lip portion.

4. In a wire coating machine, an oven; means for drawing a wire under tension through said oven; and coating means including a flattened tip having substantially parallel, bent lips between which the wire passes, and a tank above and connected with said tip for supplying a coating liquid thereto by gravity, and means for supplying a coating liquid directly to said tip.

5. In a wire coating machine, an oven;

- means for simultaneously drawing a plu- .rality of wires under tension through said oven; and coating means including a plurality of flattened tips, one for each of the wires, having substantially parallel, bent lips between which the wire passes, and means for sup lying a coating liquid directly to said tips.

6. In a wire coating machine, a horizontally disposed oven; means for drawing a wire under tension in a horizontal direction through said oven; coating means adjacent said oven comprising a tip having a flat lip and means for supporting the wire in substantial contact with said lip; and controllable means for supplying a coating liquid to said tip whereby a thin film thereof is maintained on said lip portion.

7. In a wire coating machine, a horizon tally disposed oven; means for drawing a wire under tension in a horizontal direction through said oven; coating means adjacent said oven including having substantially parallel lips between which the wire passes; and means for supplying a coating liquid directly to said tip.

8. In a wire coating machine, means for supporting a plurality of spools of'uncoated a flattened metal tipwire; tension means for retarding the unreeling of'the wires from said spools; coating means including a plurality of feeding tips, one for each of the wires, having substantially parallel lips between which the wire passes; means for supplying a coating liquid directly to each of said tips; an oven; and means for simultaneously drawing the wires through said feeding tips and said ing contact with said film-coveredpart and thence directly through said oven, whereby the non-evaporable portion of all the coating liquid applied to the wire is retained thereon.

MYRON n. SHIVERIOK.

Witnesses Gno. L. Coornn, JOHN B. CLARK. 

